Birthday

The fancy-free, childlike style of Marc Chagall paintings is rarely more
evident than in Birthday. In this image we see Chagall portraying a
young couple celebrating the female’s special day. The mood of the painting
is festive, while still maintaining the vagueness that so often creeps into
Marc Chagall paintings.

Eyecatching
If not for the contorted male protagonist, it would be easy to walk past this
painting without a second glance. It is this oddity that serves to grab the
viewer’s attention, and almost demands that they take a closer look
at the details. One could argue that the young man appears to be bending over
out of his way to please his mate, as many of us strive to do for our loved
ones on their birthdays. So few artists can provide such a sense of familiarity
in the subtleties that stretch from edge to edge of the canvas. Who among
us hasn’t given or received flowers or eaten cake on our birthdays?
If not for the striking image of the young man, we may have dismissed these
details as minor background artifacts.

Inspiration
It is clear that this painting was inspired by events in the artist’s
life. Perhaps it is a childhood memory of his parents, or perhaps a self-portrait
of Chagall and a friend. One thing is for sure, this setting had a profound
impact on the artist’s sub-conscious, which is evident in the painstaking
detail of the surroundings. Note the intricate artwork on the quilt hanging
above the bed, and the complex shading used on the back wall.

Birthday is a great example of Chagall’s view of life, love, and family,
and a tremendous illustration of his unique style. These two reasons are why
it made it on my list of favorite Chagall paintings.